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17:29 GMT
GAZA, Oct 29 (KUNA) -- The Israeli occupation army said its air strike on a
training site belonging to Al-Quds Brigades - the military arm of the Islamic
Jihad Movement - to the east of Rafah city, south Gaza Strip, earlier Saturday
came in response to a rocket attack by Palestinian "terrorists."
"The targeted terrorists are members of a cell that fired a Grad rocket
from Gaza into an open area in the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council between Ashdod
and Gedera Wednesday night," the Israeli military said.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will not tolerate any attempt to harm the
State of Israel's citizens and will operate against any element that uses
terror against Israel," according to a statement posted on the IDF website.
Meanwhile, Al-Quds Brigades said five of its members were killed in the
Israeli "crime", announcing mobilization of its forces for a retaliation
against "the Zionist enemy."
"The five martyrs are Ahmad Al-Sheikh Khalil, Qasem Abul-Ata, Mohammad
Ashor, Abdulkarim Shetat and Mohammad Al-Sardi," a statement by the group
said, citing Palestinian medical sources.
"The crime in Rafah can never go unpunished. The Zionist enemy will pay
dearly for it," it vowed.
"Israel wishes to provoke the resistance - and it won't pass without a
response. Israel shall pay a high price for its crimes. Today there was a
great loss for us in the Islamic Jihad. The size of our retaliation will equal
our loss," it added.
A few hours later three rockets were fired into the two southern Israeli
towns of Ashdod and Gan Yavne, Israel Radio reported this evening, citing IDF
sources.
The IDF has yet to trace the landing locations of the missiles and alarm
was sounded shortly before the attack and residents in Gedera and iryat
Malakhi were asked to go to shelters, according to the report.
The IDF admitted that the southern area is once again open to missile and
mortar attacks by the Palestinian groups, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily
reported on its website Ynet.
Commenting on the Israeli air strike, Abu-Ubaida, spokesman of Izz-Eddin
Al-Qassam Brigades - the armed wing of Hamas, said: "Israel is fully
responsible for the horrible crime which claimed five lives in Rafah."
"Thereby, the enemy is to be blamed for its (the crime's) consequences. The
Palestinian factions, in the forefront of which is Izz-Eddin Al-Qassam, cannot
stand idly while the blood of the Palestinian people and our fighters is being
shed," he went on.
Abu-Ubaida noted that Israel aimed through the air strike to spoil the joy
of the Palestinian people for the prisoners' release on October 18.
He added that his Brigades has already started consultations with other
factions on the due response to the Israeli attack.
Today's confrontation, the bloodiest since Israel and the Palestinian
factions agreed to ceasefire in August, seems to be an end to two months of
relative calm between the two sides.
It cast doubt on Israel's intentions after the Jewish state reached an
agreement with Hamas movement, ruling in Gaza Strip, in mid October to release
Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. (pickup previous)
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